Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (36 page)

After teleporting across the hills
and central plains, Holli and Ryson arrived near the outskirts of Connel in
order to avoid suddenly appearing in a crowded market or city square. They did
not run through the streets, but moved at a brisk walking pace to Connel's lone
Church of Godson.
They entered the ancient building respectfully and waited to be acknowledged.

The members welcomed the elf and
delver warmly, as most knew Ryson Acumen and believed his presence was a
blessing upon them all. The Book of Godson included references to all the
races, and an elf's arrival was considered an honor as well as a reaffirmation
of their faith. They directed their visitors to a back office where Holli and
Ryson could wait for the church's reader. Not wanting to leave their guests
waiting long, the church members rushed to inform their leader, and she hurried
to meet them.

"Hello Ryson, hello
Holli," she said, as she entered her office with a beaming smile. She was
not surprised to see them. She didn't know for sure who would come or exactly
when, but she deeply believed someone would eventually call on her. It pleased
her to find two important figures who were known to her.

Reader Rachael had met both the
delver and elf on previous occasions. Connel's Church
of Godson had been the initial
meeting place for representatives of all the races. It was in that very
building that dwarves, algors, humans, elves, a delver, and even a cliff
behemoth agreed to enter Sanctum Mountain
and destroy Ingar's sphere. It served as the sanctuary that brought all the
races together for the first time since the long separation.

The current meeting, however, was
bittersweet for them all. It was not Rachael who served as the church's reader
during the reunification of the races. The office they occupied belonged to the
previous reader, Reader Matthew, another of Ryson's close friends who
sacrificed himself to save both Holli and Ryson. The elf and the delver could
not help but feel a great stab of torment when they recalled the loss. Rachael
served as Matthew's assistant, and she, too, felt the sorrow of not so distant
memories.

Though they would always honor the
memory of Matthew, the three quickly moved past the sadness. Life was not
always easy, nor was it kind. In order to survive, it was often necessary to
move on from the lingering pains of the past. For her part, Rachael focused on
what she believed brought the delver and elf to her church.

"You're here about the
refugees, aren't you?"

Ryson was only mildly surprised by
the reader's insight. He and Holli said nothing to the members upon their
arrival. They did not wish to cause any alarm. In fact, Ryson wasn't sure
exactly what he was supposed to do at the church. The message from the sword
was simply to go there. The blade failed to pass any greater enlightenment.

Still, Rachael perceived the point
of their mission as if she had been previously informed. Holli might have found
discomfort in that point, but Ryson understood these people of Godson far
better than most. The followers based their outlook of life not on the accepted
norms of every day events, but upon the structure of their unique faith. Such
devotion always seemed to give them greater awareness of the happenings across
Uton, and it allowed them to meet each calamity with calm acceptance.

Despite his understanding, Ryson
could not help being a delver, and his curiosity forced the obvious question.

"How did you know?"

"The crisis is reaching a
critical point. The refugees continue to arrive from the valleys. It's not
surprising that Godson would direct you here."

Ryson suddenly felt hesitant about
what he should ask. He didn't wish to request information from Rachael's faith
just when it served him, treat the Book of Godson as some unfrequented
repository of assistance to reference only when the need arose. It diminished
the importance of everything that had happened in the past, his memory of
Reader Matthew, as well as Rachael's beliefs. He didn't wish to treat her in
that fashion.

At the same time, the Book of
Godson remained an enigma to him. He was a purebred delver, and though he did
his best to honor the legends and respect the beliefs of others, he was always
driven by what he could see, hear, smell and touch. Yes, he had seen, even
spoken to the spirits of legends... and departed friends. He had traveled to
realms beyond Uton and battled monsters and demons. He witnessed magic on an
unimaginable scale, even stood on a mountaintop surrounded by angels. Still,
the Book carried messages that went beyond his delver senses. Despite being
sent to the church by an enchanted sword, he had no idea of what to ask, what
information to seek, or even if he was entitled to hear it.

Noticing Ryson's discomfort,
Rachael offered the knowledge to him freely.

"Would you like to know about
the prophecies regarding the refugees?"

The invitation relieved the
delver, and though he would have liked to question the reader again regarding
her keen perception, he simply accepted the offer. The sword had guided him to
the church, and it was necessary to let things fall into place as they were
designed. That was all he could do.

"Actually, yes."

"I would be happy to help
you," Rachael stated, as her smile grew bright once more. "They're
here to assist us all. As you know, the prophecies can be very difficult to
understand, especially by those that are not followers. Actually, even the most
devout followers have difficulty applying them to current times, but they have
been interpreted for us. We are not surprised by what is currently
happening."

"So there is something in the
Book of Godson about what's happening in the Great
Valleys?"

"Yes. It's known as the
Broken Chain of Bargains prophecy. In its original text in the Book, the
prophecy talks about a time of split friendship, the left hand acting against
the right. The people of the west found an ally, but the ally's brother, once
from the west, becomes a foe to the east. One pact leads to another, then
another, and then another until they fall back upon themselves. That's the
chain."

"From what we know, many
deals have already been made in the valleys," Holli acknowledged,
referring to what she learned about Strog Grandhammer's plans and the wealth
taken by goblins and handed over to human leaders.

"That's not surprising,"
Rachael noted. "The Book refers to bargained unities and
 
disguised agreements."

She took the Book of Godson from
her desk and opened to a page that had already been marked. She looked over a
passage quickly, then lifted her head to read the passage from memory.

"'A chain of bargains will
bring a great plague to the low lands. The links of the chain are an illusion.
A bargained unity is nothing more than a disguised agreement to a false
leader's end to no ends. One hand grasps another and then another, but the hold
is not sincere. Only the last agreement is honored, and the twins hold sway.
Before the hands break away, the fleeing masses will grow from a trickle to a
great flood. East becomes west, even as the abandoned becomes a rebirth. Deceit
runs its course and the plague turns to vermin, and then, fire.'"

"And you're certain that this
prophecy is what we're facing right now?" Ryson asked, unable to see the
connection in anything but the vaguest of terms.

"Well, there's a great deal
more to the prophecy than that. You have to remember the prophecies are
sprinkled throughout the book and it's extremely difficult to put them together.
A different section talks about a bargain of short stature that starts it all
and that an agreement with vermin is based on both anger and deceit. Then
there's another part of the prophecy that talks about the vermin bargaining
with the false leader and his followers. There are more bargains. The twins
bargain with the false leader, and also with the vermin. There is also a
bargain between the twins themselves. I know it's cryptic, but it was
interpreted for us like many of the other prophecies that have come to pass.
The past interpretations all proved to be true, so we have no reason to doubt
these."

"What do the interpretations
tell you?" Holli asked.

"The first deal is an
agreement between the dwarves of the east and goblins. Both are of short stature,
and the goblins are actually the vermin. The dwarves are represented by the
split friendship. They are the left hand and the right hand. The dwarves here,
near Connel and even in Pinesway I hear, have become our allies. The ally's
brother is actually a dwarf city near the valleys—the dwarves of the east... or
the left hand."

"That might be Sterling,
but wouldn't the left be the west?" Ryson asked.

"That would depend on your
perspective," Holli explained. "If you face north, east is to your
right and west is to your left, but turn around and face south..."

"And it's the reverse,"
Ryson acknowledged.

"I know it's confusing,"
Rachael admitted. "It was the same for us. We always thought the ally and
the brother were the twins, until it was properly interpreted for us. The twins
are separate from the dwarves."

"Who are the twins?"
Holli asked.

"We are not quite sure. We
were just told the twins are evil and that they would twist a plan of the
dwarves into their own plot. The eastern dwarves want to rid the valleys of the
humans. They planned to use the goblins as the means to accomplish that end.
The goblins in turn worked with a human leader—the false leader—to gain a
foothold in the valley."

Ryson and Holli looked to each
other and said the name in unison.

"Prilgrat."

"Is that the leader's
name?" Rachael asked.

"It's the only
possibility," Ryson revealed. "He's the regional steward in
Ashlan."

"Well, he's in for a
surprise. He made a deal with the twins. The twins promised to keep the vermin
in check, but they will not honor that bargain. The goblins will be let loose
on the city. As for the twins, they made a promise to each other to divide the
valleys between them and bring destruction, disease, and death to all of the
lowlands."

"But won't that mean the dwarves
will get their way?" Ryson questioned.

"The dwarves do not wish to
see the Great Valleys
withered and dying. They just wished to be rid of the humans."

"Do you know how it
ends?" Holli asked, hoping that some guidance could be found.

"To a degree. 'Two of white
greet the pale twins and reverse the tide. The doors are open and shut and the
vermin removed. Before the sun rises again on the lowlands, the final bargain
is destroyed and the lowlands shall be raised up once more.' That's another
quote. We were told it means that two wizards casting white magic would defeat
the twins' plan. The vermin plague being removed means the goblins will be
beaten. When the prophecy states the final bargain will be destroyed, it is
telling us that the twins will not get their wish and that the valleys will be
spared."

Ryson looked to Holli once more.

"Two wizards casting white
magic, do you think that would be Enin and Jure?"

"It is possible," Holli
noted, but remained cautious, "While it is rare, others cast in white as well.
We should not try to force the answer. I did that before, and I will not make
the same mistake." The elf then addressed the reader again. "Can you
tell us who the wizards might be?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't. It's
like the twins. The prophecies and their interpretations don't include every
little detail. We don't know exactly how things will play out, but we know what
to expect, and we have faith in the ultimate outcome. We simply know that the
evil twins will be defeated."

"I guess it works like the Sword
of Decree," Ryson offered. "I might not get a full picture, but I
know what to do."

"And the sword directed you
to come here?"

"That's right."

"The problem is that we have
come across nothing that might be twins," Holli added.

"You will," Rachael
stated confidently.

"Is there anything else you
can tell us?"

"I've told you the whole
prophecy as I know it. What is it you're looking for?"

"I still do not understand
Prilgrat's motivation," Holli admitted. "I do not wish to cast doubt
on the Book of Godson. Many things you have mentioned have come to pass. The
dwarves have made a bargain with the goblins. A separatist dwarf who escaped
from Dunop has usurped power in the dwarf city of Sterling."

"He would be the brother
'once from the west' in the first part of the prophecy I eluded to,"
Rachael acknowledged.

"I would agree. The goblins
have also made a deal with several town leaders across the valleys. They have
purchased their aid by utilizing gems and metals from dwarf mines. We have seen
the goblins in Ashlan, and one of their leaders stands by the regional steward
in close discussions. That all fits together, but why would Prilgrat make any
bargain with goblins that will ultimately cause him to lose power?"

"Does it matter?" Ryson
interjected. He wasn't sure the prophecies were necessarily an exact narrative
of what had happened or what remained to occur—or even if they were to be fully
accepted—but he believed that Rachael helped them to understand what was going
on in the valleys. He started to believe that was why the Sword of Decree led
him to the church. He announced as much.

"We have a better idea of
what's happening, maybe why it's happening isn't as important."

"Why things happen are always
important," Holli noted. "Motivation leads to understanding."

"I agree," Rachael
replied. "It's not just what you do, it's why you do it." The reader
then focused on Holli. "What is it that's really bothering you about
this?"